Greatest Comebacks in NFL History

Greatest Comebacks in NFL History

Although tonight's (Feb. 5th, 2017) Super Bowl LI comeback victory of 25 points by the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons might not be the largest comeback in NFL postseason history, it was certainly an instant classic and can be considered one of the greatest games ever played.

Many thrilling finishes over the history of the National Football League have proven the adage “it ain’t over til it’s over” is so true. Here is a look at the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

Regular Season Games

Joe Montana became synonymous with “comeback” during his Hall of Fame career. Perhaps none of his heroics were finer than this day when he led the 49ers back by scoring on a 1-yard run, connecting on a 71-yard bomb and added another TD pass to rally San Fran from a 35-7 halftime deficit.

Bills running back Antowain Smith helped lead Buffalo back from a 26-0 deficit late in the first half. He led the charge by gaining 129 yards on the ground and scored 3 second half TDs as the Bills posted the second best comeback ever in regular season.

The Cardinals, playing their last season in St. Louis, thrilled Busch Stadium fans with a comeback for the ages. Trailing 28-3 in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals stormed back to stun the Buccaneers. Wide receiver J.T. Smith was on the receiving end of two TD strikes from Neil Lomax to lead his team to victory.

Trailing 28-3 in the second quarter, Browns QB Brian Hoyer began the biggest road comeback in NFL history with a TD pass to tight end Jim Dray to end the half. The defense tightened up, garnering a safety, three punts and a turnover on downs, allowing the offense to chip away at the lead. Hoyer fired two of his three TD strikes, including the game-winner, to third-year wide receiver Travis Benjamin.

Eagles QB Tommy Thompson threw two first half interceptions which led directly to 10 Washington points. Philadelphia began the second half trailing 24-0 before Thompson’s arm warmed up. The Eagles scored 28 unanswered points as Thompson fired three second half TDs including the game-winner with 90 seconds left.

The Lions walked off the Briggs Stadium field to a thunderous ovation after Hall of Fame QB Bobby Layne led a wild comeback to upset Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts. Layne hit “Hopalong” Cassidy for the game-winning touchdown pass with 45 seconds to play.

QB Frank Tripucka woke up the Broncos offense late in the third quarter and took just 18 minutes to erase the Patriots 24-point lead. Tripucka fired four touchdown passes on the day to lead the comeback win during the AFL’s inaugural season.

The Dolphins had already secured a division championship heading into their final regular season game against the divisional rival Patriots. As such, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and many other regulars did not play. Although the Patriots sprinted to an early 24-0 lead, backup quarterback Earl Morrall and running back Don Nottingham each contributed two TDs to lift the Dolphins to a 34-27 comeback win.

San Fran led 24-0 midway through the third quarter. The Vikings, trailing 24-7 entering the fourth quarter, brought rookie QB Tommy Kramer off the bench. He responded with three fourth quarter TD passes including the game-winning 69-yarder to Sammy White with 1:38 to play.

Quarterback Craig Morton came off the bench in the third quarter and lit up the scoreboard with three TD passes in just over 2½ minutes to put Denver back in the game. Linebacker Bob Swenson chipped in with a two INTs and return man extraordinaire Rick Upchurch’s punt return set up the go-ahead score.

Scoring came in waves for both the Oilers and Bengals in this game. Cincinnati jumped to a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter before Houston took over and scored 27 straight points to take the lead by the end of the third quarter. Toni Fritsch ended the marathon with only 32 seconds left in overtime with a 29-yard field goal

The Raiders trailed 24-0 late in the second quarter of their first-ever home game at the L.A. Coliseum. The turnaround began when Jim Plunkett hit Todd Christensen for a 1-yard scoring pass with 42 seconds remaining in the first half; and won on a 1-yard TD plunge midway through the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Jay Schroeder made his first start for the Raiders and led his team back from a 24-0 halftime hole on Monday Night Football. A pair of long TD strikes to wide receiver Steve Smith in the third quarter ignited the comeback. A 20-yard interception return by Zeph Lee set up the Raiders’ game-winning field goal in OT.

Trailing the Bucs 27-3 at halftime the Rams came out firing in the second half with a Jim Everett to Willie “Flipper” Anderson 40-yard TD strike. The Rams scored 21 points in just under eight minutes and took the lead with 5:40 left in the game on Everett’s TD pass to receiver Pat Carter.

The Lions, trailing 27-3 in the third quarter reversed the game’s momentum on a pair of pick-sixes less than five minutes apart. Then Calvin Johnson hauled in a pair of TD passes for a record-tying fourth straight game to help Detroit to the win.

Peyton Manning, known for leading comebacks during his career, never rallied from 24 points down until this Monday Night Football classic. Manning and the Broncos overcame a 24-0 halftime deficit as Manning threw for 309 yards and 3 TDs.

The Patriots trailed 24-0 at halftime of this nationally televised Sunday Night matchup. Quarterback Tom Brady rallied New England by throwing three second-half touchdowns as the Patriots took a 31-24 lead. The Broncos tied the game to send it into overtime before kicker Stephen Gostkowski put the finishing touches on the comeback.

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck rebounded with a strong second half performance in which he threw three TD passes and alertly grabbed a fumble for a five-yard TD as Indy erased a 28-point deficit in a thrilling 45-44 victory over the Chiefs in the 2013 AFC Wild Card Game.

A botched snap on the potential game-winning field goal by the Giants, preserved the second greatest comeback in NFL playoff history for the 49ers. Wide receiver Terrell Owens, who finished with 9 catches 177 yards, scored the game’s first TD on a 76-yarder on the first play from scrimmage and then started the comeback with a 26-yard TD reception in the third quarter.

Known as “Captain Comeback,” Hall of Fame QB Roger Staubach led the Cowboys in one of his greatest come-from-behind heroics. He guided Dallas on two scoring drives in the final two minutes. He capped the first with a 20-yard TD strike. Then, following a recovery of an onside kick, he drove Dallas downfield and connected for the game-winner with 52 seconds left on the clock.

Dan Marino orchestrated two third quarter TD drives and RB Ron Davenport scored his second TD of the day on a 1-yard run with 1:57 remaining in the game to cap Miami’s 18-point comeback win as the Dolphins advanced to the AFC championship game.

The Colts earned their first AFC title since 1970 in spectacular fashion. Indy rallied from an 18-point deficit and capped the comeback on a Joseph Addai 3-yard touchdown run. Marlin Jackson preserved the victory with an interception with 16 seconds left.